E.coli Outbreak Spreads To PA; Romaine Likely Culprit: CDC

PENNSYLVANIA — Forty people in 16 states, including Pennsylvania, have now been sickened in an E.coli outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control said in an update Friday afternoon.

Based on new information, the CDC is advising that consumers not eat and retailers not sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, California growing region. Most romaine lettuce products are now labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown.

Federal food investigators say the illness may also be connected to nearly 100,000 pounds of salad products recalled in 22 states, including Pennsylvania.

Twenty eight people have been hospitalized as a result of the outbreak, and at least one of them reported eating one of the recalled salad products, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported.

RELATED: 100K Pounds Of Salad Recalled Due To E.coli, PA Impacted

All types of lettuce products are included in this warning: whole heads of romaine, hearts of romaine, packages of pre-cut lettuce, salad mixes that contain romaine, including baby romaine, spring mix, and Caesar salad.

Anyone who has romaine lettuce in their homes should check the packaging to see if “Salinas” is listed on the label. If it does, the CDC says to throw away the products and not eat them.

If a salad does not have the harvesting region listed on it, the agency’s advice is to throw it away.

On Thursday, Missa Bay LLC, which is based in Swedesboro, N.J., announced it has recalled 97,272 pounds of salad products because the lettuce may be contaminated with E.coli. The products, some of which tested positive for E.coli O157:H7, were produced in October and include various ready-made salads sold under store brands from Walmart, Target, Aldi, Safeway and others.

A full list of affected products can be found here.

Anyone who has any of the recalled salad products should not eat them, the CDC advises.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the products were shipped to Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

People infected with STEC 0157:H7 develop diarrhea and vomiting. "Vigorous rehydration and other supportive care is the usual treatment; antibiotic treatment is generally not recommended," according to federal authorities. Most people recover within a week, but a more-severe infection is possible.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, Hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, is uncommon with STEC 0157:H7 infection. Hemolytic uremic syndrome is most common in children under 5 years old, older adults and those with weakened immune systems. It is marked by easy bruising, pallor and decreased urine output.

You can find more information about symptoms of E.coli infection via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.